NBC chimes (Jan 1953-Dec 1954)

Film's First Anniversary Stanton Reviews Growth of NBC Film Operation As It Marks First Year as Separate Division The NBC Film Division last month marked its first anniversary as one of the National Broadcasting Company's major operating divisions. "The NBC Film Division's first year was one of rapid, though carefully controlled, growth." said Carl M. Stanton, who was named NBC \ ice President in charge of the division shortly after Robert W. Sarnoff was elected Executive Vice President of NBC last December. "This growth is measured in terms of new personnel, added film properties and vastly increased sales." continued Mr. Stanton, director of the division during all of 1953. "This year, however, will be even more important for the svndicated film business than was 1953. From the pattern established last year it can be predicted that new television stations, as they come on the air. will look to the syndicators for much of their local programming. Many more local advertisers will avail themselves of the syndicated film as a streamlined, high quality, inexpensive selling vehicle. "Regional and multiple-market advertisers will use the syndicated film in order to concentrate their advertising dollars where their sales are made. National advertisers will turn to the syndicated film in order to supplement their basic network television coverage." More than 1.100 sales of NBC Film Division properties were made during the past year. Mr. Stanton said. Markets ranged in size from Panama Citv. Ha. ( 2.000 TV homes! to New York City i 3.715.000 TV homes !, where the division has nine programs on the air — more than any other single syndicator. Four NBC Film Division series have been sold in over 100 markets: "Dangerous Assignment." 154: the hourlong "Hopalong Cassidy" films. 143; "Badge 714." 140: and "Douglas Fairbanks Presents" I now under the title of "Paragon Playhouse"), 125. Five other programs are approaching the 100-city mark. Mr. Stanton pointed out that sponsors of NBC Film Division properties range from major oil companies and large brewers to local furniture and appliance dealers, banks, jewelers, dairies and many other business enterprises for which the syndicated film has proven to be an effective and economical advertising medium. Carl M. Stanton. Vice President in charge of the Film Division, reports on '"rapid, though carefully controlled, growth." during first year. The division has also sold properties outside of the continental limits of the United States: programs have been sold in Mexico. Italv. Hawaii. Brazil, Alaska. Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Panama and Canada. A year ago the NBC Film Division was syndicating two programs: "Dangerous Assignment." starring Brian Donlevy. and "Hopalong Cassidy." Today the division's inventorv includes fourteen properties, with several more to be added during 1954. Currently offered to local stations and to local or regional sponsors are programs which ran originally on the NBC Television Network and programs produced especially for syndication: among the former are "\ ictory at Sea," "Badge 714" (formerly "Dragnet"), "Captured" ( formerly "Gangbusters") and "The Visitor" (formerly "The Doctor" I . The NBC Film Division also syndicates "The Life of Riley" in markets not covered by the network sponsor. Among the programs filmed especially for syndication are "Dangerous Assignment." "Hopalong Cassidy," (a series of 54 hour-long films originally produced for theatrical release plus 52 half-hour films recently produced especially for television ) , "Paragon Playhouse" (formerly "Douglas Fairbanks Presents,") : "Inner Sanctum," the most recently filmed series. "The Lilli Palmer Show," "Watch the World" and a daily and weekly news-film program. The Division also syndicates 26 feature films, more than half of which were produced since 1950 and none of which were previously shown on television. Mr. Stanton declared that the NBC Film Division's forceful campaign on behalf of re-running good TV film series has benefited the entire industry. "Since the beginning of the year," he said, "we have been preaching the gospel of the re-run. Despite a certain amount of initial opposition on the part of stations and the press, our stand has been thoroughlv vindicated. "We maintained that the re-run makes possible the local showing — at a local cost — of programs of highest qualitv. The emerging pattern of the industry has already made it apparent that enormous advantages accrue to the public, the television station and the advertiser through the re-running of good film programs." Mr. Stanton observed that the re-run is not only an economic necessity to the producer and distributor of high quality programs, but — because of the constantly expanding television audience — it also reaches a larger audience than did the first run. "Now that research data is available." Mr. Stanton said, "we find that our belief has been substantiated far \ NBC Chimes